Important Thing For a B2B Site

I want to discuss this topic because I have visited a lot of b2b sites and have got a shallow understanding on the way a b2b website runs.

A b2b website, if it wants to be special, must have an idea of what is the most important thing. My job demands me to browse a huge amount of b2b sites. Although I am not a professional e commerce analyst, my experience in viewing b2b sites makes me feel obliged to say something in this field. By writing this article, I do not intend to enter into technical discussion on what is going to make a b2b site special as I am clearly aware of my abilities, nor do I want to state authoritatively what the most important thing is for a b2b site. Instead, I just want to point out, from a layman's point of view, something which is valuable for a b2b site, something, which, upon being taken into consideration, will make a b2b site wok better in meeting users' needs.

Most people visit b2b sites in the hope of finding business opportunities. Business opportunity may be a concept which is seemingly abstract. However, to define what a real business opportunity is, there needs to be a bunch of conditions. I mean, if a b2b website visitor wants to find a partner who he will trust and with whom he will do business in the future, shouldn't he take many things into consideration such as his potential partner's location, creditability, product and other related information? In no way will a b2b site visitor just browse the site quickly and then pick up a partner randomly. Even for a supplier who wants to find a buyer through b2b sites, he has to choose the one whose buying attention fits him best.

So, the point lies in the process of how a b2b visitor, whether he is a buyer or a supplier, proceeds with his searching in order to find his desired business partner. However, searching for intended information for a b2b visitor is not an easy task. Most b2b sites have gathered a huge amount of information of buyer, supplier and product. B2B visitor may type a key word or select a product category to go on with his searching. However, this kind of general searching is sometimes labor consuming and time consuming. Although you may get corresponding information related to your typed keywords or your selected category, you still have to go on with more advanced searching in order to find the most relevant information. As I have mentioned before, a visitor has to take many elements into consideration before he can find his real business opportunity.

A b2b visitor wants to find his business opportunity without spending too much time. In other words, a b2b visitor wants to find the most relevant information in the shortest time. Information relevancy or high precision matching assumes tremendous importance for a b2b site. In the future, those b2b sites which can help visitors find business opportunities in the shortest time will gain popularity. But how?

In my opinion, a b2b site should come up with a precision matching internal search engine which can help visitors find the most suitable business leads in the shortest time. This search engine allows visitors to proceed with his search based on a searching setting which is a combination of many specific searching conditions and standards.

To sum up, how to help b2b site visitors find the most relevant business information in the most effective way should become a b2b site developer's key task.

The author is a b2b developer from http://www.ChanceOL.com, china's first RFQ based b2b site.

How to Get B2B Clients: A Primer for Copywriters

In more than 20 years of copywriting for both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) clients, I have found mid-size and large B2B clients to be generally easier to work with, and more professional than B2C. (I do not recommend working for small business in either B2B or B2C.)

In my experience, B2B companies tend be more “corporate” and less entrepreneurial in their thinking and procedures than B2C companies. For instance, B2B clients are more likely to use creative briefs, meet deadlines, and pay on time.

The marketing departments of B2B clients also tend to be more sophisticated in their approach to marketing; this is nice for the copywriter who wants to have more say in testing, offers, and other elements of a response campaign.

The more process-driven a marketing department is, the easier it is to get winning promotions, as well as information on the results of promotions, work samples, and other data that helps a copywriter build his business.

Winning a B2B Client

Because B2B clients are by nature more oriented to “professional” processes and thinking, the copywriter who wants to win their business must also appear professional. Here’s what you’ll need in order to successfully approach a mid-size, large, or enterprise-level B2B client:

• Professional-quality letterhead, envelopes, and business cards are a must. You don’t have to be exotic or fancy; graphic designers need flash and dazzle but copywriters don’t. Don’t fret about design…but do make sure your most basic business tools look professional. If you can’t afford a designer’s help, opt for simple and straightforward.

• Know what you stand for. It pays to create your own unique selling proposition (USP). These days both B2C and B2B clients want to know why you are the best copywriter for them. Once you determine what sets you apart, you should create a tag line that appears on your business cards and letterhead.

For instance, the tagline I helped one of my coaching students create is “Helping your build and maintain profitable long-term customers.”

• Go to a niche market. Related to the advice above, you will do well to go to a niche market for which you have a connection…a point of differentiation that sets you apart. Many experts will tell you that you can find your point of differentiation in your work history. But this is only partly true.

With my coaching students I regularly help them discover what makes them unique and special not only in their work history, but in their passions, and their talents.

For instance, one of my students wanted to use her literary talent to sell her copywriting; so we carved out a unique copywriting market that would appreciate — and benefit from — the power of her written talent for story telling.

• You must have a Web site. And it had better be professional. A professional Web site for the corporate market must exhibit obvious elements of good lead-generation.

The elements of a good lead-generating Web site are many; however, for the purposes of this primer, I will touch on the most important four elements:

1. Your Web site must have “you” orientation. It’s not about you, it’s about them. Your Home Page headline must acknowledge a pain of your audience, and offer a solution. One example from one of my coaching students: “Are you a software marketer looking for a steadier stream of qualified software leads?”

Contrast this with this “me oriented” Home Page headline of another copywriter: “Bill S., Freelance Advertising Copywriter.” Even the lead-in sentence was me oriented: “I’m an advertising copywriter, which is why my website utterly lacks graphics.”

2. Your Web site must have an offer. Direct marketing without an offer is not direct marketing. If you are a copywriter who wants to make a great income, then you must let your potential clients know that you will bring in more than you cost.

You offer should in some way convey that. In lead-generation, which is what your freelance business depends on, one of the best offers you can advance is free information in the form of a report, or other valuable information product.

3. Your Web site must have either a very clean, orderly, and simple but sophisticated design…or it must be designed by a graphic designer.

If designed by a direct response designer, your Web site will exhibit signs of high level branding and direct response design “magic”…all of which will impress a B2B audience.

An aside: In my experience, Webmasters are excellent at what they do, but they do not have direct marketing graphic design skills — even though they usually think they do!

If you’re going to build your Web site yourself, take the time to learn about direct response design; otherwise, invest a small sum in having a direct response designer create a design template that you can follow…or have her design the full site herself.

4. Post samples. Samples are the equivalent of showing a portfolio. For new copywriters, this is a tough one. But there are lots of ways to work this to your advantage.

First, understand that no potential client wants to see more than three samples; then understand that you can post a “spec” sample that never mailed; and third, know that you can even post a sample that was never entirely finished…

If, for instance, you did a critique of a potential client’s campaign, you can post that critique on your Web site — as long as you gained permission to do so.

A note on testimonials:

Yes, they’re important. But I was lazy in this department. Instead, I concentrated on getting response rates and writing case studies of my winners. Not having testimonials on my Web site never hurt me. However, one day I wanted to diversify into coaching and other copywriting related pursuits…and then I became concerned.

So my advice to you is to be vigilant about collecting testimonials. The moment your client says something positive about your work is the moment to say “can I quote that?”

• You must have business processes. Once again, because of their professional nature, B2B companies work best with copywriters who use fee agreements, creative briefs, meet deadlines, and nail down exactly what it is they’re expected to do (right down to the size and fold of the brochure), put it in writing, and then do it.

Many copywriters work without fee agreements, “set in stone” timelines, and like the “handshake” approach to doing business.

But not only is this a sure path to disappointment, it’s also a red flag to corporate clients that the copywriter is insecure, a poor business person, or both. Having a clear process for how you do business will not only make your business more profitable, but it will make the B2B client more confident in your abilities.

• Be a salesman. Whether their marketing is lead-generating or order-generating, B2B clients are very efficient at salesmanship and closing. Don’t shy away from mailing sales letters to them and then following up. They do it, and understand that it’s “just business” to be on the receiving end.

In fact, I’ve found it much easier to market to B2B companies than B2C. If you’ve done a good job of targeting — you’ve created a niche or USP that matches you with your target — then you should enjoy at least a 1% conversion rate to your marketing efforts. B2B companies are generally accepting and interested in your call, as long as you’ve done your homework to determine why you’re the best copywriter for them.

Master copywriter and coach Chris Marlow publishes a free ezine for copywriters who want to quickly build a profitable business. Visit:http://www.FreelancersBusinessBulletin.com

Six Reasons to Use a B2B Marketplace

Considering their features and capabilities B2B marketplaces are still quite underused. However, the trend is changing and many companies started to realize the immense potential these promising online channels store. Now the common view considering adoption of a marketplace as a sales or purchase channel will change the way a company handles its sales and procurement bringing improved productivity and sustained profitability to its bottom line.

What is a B2B marketplace?

Business to business marketplace is an online venue where buyers and sellers come to communicate, collaborate and do business transactions. A B2B marketplace handles a large number of participant companies as a community. The main objective of a marketplace is to organize a business platform filled with features that allow members to conduct various business processes over the Internet and increase company productivity.

Two primary indicators of company productivity are Increased Revenue and Cost Saving. Both of these two indicators will show improved result if a company incorporates marketplace features in possible fields of its business operations.

Let’s check out some compelling reasons why companies should start using B2B marketplace without hesitation:

1. B2B marketplace is a large community of buyers and sellers

By becoming a member of a B2B marketplace companies get instant access to thousands of prospective buyers and suppliers. An average B2B marketplace has over 100 thousand members. This gives an opportunity to expand business by finding new customers and suppliers from this new community. Working closely with the members of the new community companies get every chance to increase their businesses dramatically.

2. Real time marketplace allows buyers to take quick decision

Buyers can study, compare and research a product offered on a marketplace without leaving it. This ability of a B2B marketplace to give key information necessary to make a purchasing decision helps buyers to take a faster buying decision.

Study shows that a full 47 percent of the buyers visit a site without having all the necessary information needed to purchase a product. Products offered on a marketplace are integrated with the eCatalog and seller’s Web Store. This helps to increase buyer conversion rate significantly.

3. Sophisticated eCatalog helps display comprehensive product features

An eCatalog is an Online product content management solution with powerful user interface which provides efficient navigation, searching and integration capabilities to organize and publish product information and enable real-time handling of business processes related to buying and selling.

It stores product content in a single database and organizes product information under a predefined categorized hierarchy. It also has sophisticated search capabilities so that buyers can locate products easily.

Studies show, in many cases, buyers are unable to take conclusive procurement decisions due to poor content of the product resulting lost business opportunity for companies. To avoid this all B2B marketplaces adopt one kind or another advanced eCatalog system which delivers a compelling value proposition. As a result, companies can expect increased revenue, better customer satisfaction, and shorter sales cycle.

4. Sales solution expedites selling process and reduces overhead costs

The sales chain integrated into a B2B marketplace covers every stage of selling process including quotation, negotiation, billing and shipment tracking. Electronic sales process considerably reduces sale’s cycle enabling lower processing costs. Electronic sales solution also helps minimizing document errors often associated with paper based systems.

5. eProcurement solution makes buying easier

Electronic procurement is the method of conducting transactions between buyers and suppliers over the Internet. An eProcurement system is an integral part of a B2B marketplace. Procurement through a B2B marketplace has many undisputed advantages. Transaction costs get reduced thanks to streamlined transaction process. It saves time and stops rogue spending by employees.

Aberdeen Group estimates that automating procurement activities will save midsize companies $2 million per year. And that's not to say anything of the cost savings resulting from better supply chain collaboration.

6. Web Store brings new opportunities to company’s retail business

While through the marketplace you can tap into the wide range of B2B buyers, B2B marketplace feature that allows participant companies to build their web store using the same eCatalog gives a magnificent opportunity to target a totally different market segment. This by itself is a unique opportunity as recent studies showed that an increased number of small companies with less than 20 employees are making more than 25 percent of their sales online.

There are other benefits that a company can recieve from participating in a B2B marketplace as well.

For buyer participants a B2B marketplace offers:

• Lower transaction costs – streamlined transaction processing.
• Access to new suppliers – B2B marketplace participation removes geographical barriers and provides access to new suppliers.
• Time savings – provides for faster approval, ordering processes and delivery tracking.

For suppliers, it offers:

• Reduced inventory costs – Clearer visibility and forecasting ability allow companies considerably reduce inventory keeping costs.
• Access to new buyers and markets – B2B marketplace provides a new sales channel which opens up many new opportunities for suppliers.
• Increased sales – with access to a wider market, suppliers have the potential to increase revenue.
• Reduced overhead costs – Thanks to streamlined supply chain overhead costs can be reduced up to 30 percent.
• Reduced order processing costs – The supply chain solutions of a B2B exchange may allow sellers to reduce order processing cost significantly. Studies show that cost of processing a purchase order can be reduced from US$ 70 down to US$ 6 only.
• Reduced sales and support costs – By automating sales and customer support processes companies can reduce over head costs around 25-30% easily.

B2B marketplaces are one-stop business solutions for many of the company’s needs. Usually a marketplace offers a huge range of features and functions. Participant companies can select required functionalities, use them effectively and reap all the benefits mentioned above.